HMRC’s Voice recognition telephone system – How do you find using it?

In November 2013, HMRC replaced some of the touchtone Interactive Voice response (IVRs), which asked callers to press a number on their keypad to select an option from the range given, with Intelligent Telephony Automation (ITA), a speech recognition technology. Since its introduction improvements have been made and HMRC is looking to keep developing the system further.

We are still receiving reports from members that in addition to the problem in getting through on the phone, ITA is frustrating to use and it is difficult to get through to the right person straight away.

Post a comment to let us know your view of HMRC’s ITA system

HMRC has also asked us for feedback on what works well and what is still causing you difficulty. Please help by letting us know your experience of the ITA system by posting a short comment. Some of the areas on which you may wish to comment are:

·What line did you call?

·What were you calling about?

·Did the system understand your subject matter?

·Did you get through to an adviser who could help straight away? If not, how many times were you transferred?

·Was the adviser able to deal with you query?

·Were you disconnected?

·What suggestions do you have to improve the system?

Please note that ITA was not introduced on HMRC’s Agent dedicated lines, but was implemented on the following lines:

PAYE0300 200 3300

Self Assessment (SA)0300 200 3310

VAT 0300 200 3700

Tax Credits0345 300 3900

Child Benefit 0300 200 3100

Payment Enquiry Line 0300 200 3401

Employer Helpline0300 200 3200

National Insurance0300 200 3500

The ITA system consists of two elements. First, an open menu which provides a speech enabled call routing ‘How can I help you’ approach. ITA intends that callers will be asked at least two questions before they are put through to either an adviser or to a message that answers their question. The second element of ITA is Identity & Verification (ID&V) which provides speech automated security using known facts about the caller to verify their identity when they have a specific query about their account.

I have mixed success with ITA. Sometimes it works fine (the ID verification is more limited in scope and therefore easier to programme and make work, because that always works), sometimes it repeats questions when it has not been able to interpret the response, and sometimes it is not good. My worst experience was when I answered the opening question with 'The taxpayer has died', and the system asked me to confirm that I wanted to ask about maternity benefits. I got through to an adviser eventually by using different words.

I initially asked for " Bereavement Service " and I was then asked to explain the nature of my call
I stated that it was in relation to an income tax repayment for someone who had died recently and was then asked...

" Is the call about your own affairs ? "
After saying " No. I am still alive ! " someone picked up the phone

What a terrible way to treat " customers " or whatever it is they call us these days

On the other hand one of my funniest moments of 2014 was listening to a recording someone posted on twitter, of them trying to get through HMRC voice recognition system on VAT MOSS. So it provided a slight bit of entertainment as well as loads of pain.